Services

As the National Broadband Network continues to roll out across the nation, the copper ISDN services that power most Australian business communications will start being disconnected. In fact, this will begin on September 30 – just a few weeks away!

Soon your business will need to look for another solution for your telephone and data services. But what options are out there and what should you be doing in preparation for the switch?

Why is the Integrated Services Digital Network being disconnected?

Your telco provider will start the disconnection of its Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) from the end of September this year, as the NBN rollout continues to bring business-grade networking solutions online.

As you might be aware, Australian ISDN is a digital communications network that runs over the copper infrastructure that supports our traditional phone lines. It’s been in place for decades, and it’s time for it to be retired and replaced.

While the process has been happening since 2018, the next phase starts on September 30, when they will begin to shut down and disconnecting ISDN products progressively.

For some business premises, this will occur in a matter of months. For others, the mandatory disconnection date could be further away with the entire network expected to be shut down by 2022.

ISDN disconnection timeline

January 31 2018 – New ISDN service unavailable for customers who don’t already have ISDN in place.

2022 – All ISDN connections will be disconnected, and the full network will be decommissioned.

When should my business make the switch?

While you can expect plenty of early warning leading up to the exit, time is slipping away for companies relying on ISDN to find an alternative solution.

Here at Hitech, we’re advising customers to plan for the shutdown of ISDN well before the predicted cut-off date in their area.

In most cases, it makes sense to replace ISDN lines when your premises are first NBN-ready, and at the same time as moving over, any public switched telephone network lines to NBN.

This will save you the frustration of caught in the inevitable bottleneck that is coming as people leave their change over until the last minute. It also minimises the chance of disruption or downtime to your business.

With this in mind, now is the perfect time to research how modern voice technology could offer new opportunities for your workplace and to establish a transition plan for your business.

What non-ISDN solutions are available?

Thankfully, several ISDN alternatives exist, including SIP and Cloud PBX.

The first is SIP Trunking, and it’s cheaper and more efficient than ISDN. Many people believe SIP or Session Initiated Protocol is the future of business voice.

What is Session Initiation Protocol Trunking?

You’ve probably heard the term VOIP before, VOIP is short for Voice Over Internet Protocol. It is the name given to any voice call transmitted over a data network. Session Initiation Protocol Trunking or (SIP) is a version of VOIP, specifically designed to make and deliver phone calls.

A SIP Trunk is the digital equivalent of a traditional phone line, but instead of being a physical wire, a SIP Trunk is a virtual phone line that connects via the internet to your phone system. Many newer phone systems are ready to go with SIP whilst some older phone systems may need an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA) device to utilise this new technology.

What is a Cloud Public Branch Exchange (PBX)

A Cloud PBX is a software replacement for the traditional on-premise phone system providing all the features of a business grade phone system including Unified Communications.

With a Cloud PBX there is no hardware to purchase, manage or maintain. You simply pay a monthly charge for the voice services that you use, and you can scale up or down as your business requirements change.

With the Cloud your telephony system extends to wherever you are located either in the office, at home or on the road. A variety of devices can be used to provide access; either a certified IP handset, a PC-based softphone (Cloud Communicator UC client) or a compatible smart phone/tablet client.

Also being delivered via the Cloud, and not reliant on premise-based equipment, Cloud Telephony provides a service resilient to business interruption and a quicker path to disaster recovery.

This gives you greater freedom when using your office phone and PBX. So, if you frequently need to be out of the office, but you don’t want to miss your calls, you can stay connected through your cloud PBX.

The benefits of switching from ISDN to cloud telephone services

With the imminent end of ISDN, businesses big and small need to modernise their communications systems to stay ahead of the coming changes.

What many businesses don’t actually realise is how many benefits this modernisation carries, mainly if they migrate to cloud telephony systems.

Benefits of using cloud telephony including

Significantly reduced business phone line and contract bills – there’s no line rental

Simpler, more accessible and more easily controlled than the older systems to which we’ve become accustomed

Ability to make business calls from your own phone or mobile device

Add and remove users whenever you need

Work from any location you want and keep the same contact details

In a changing business landscape, this level of flexibility in communications is essential to ensure your business remains relevant and agile in the coming years.

Talk to us about an option to suit your business

While we live and breathe telephones, voice and data, we understand that you probably don’t.

Hitech is no flash-in-the-pan phone and internet company; we’re a respected industry mainstay servicing business in Bendigo and north-central Victoria for more than 30 years.

And we employ a team of fully-training and licences technicians and sales staff to help you find the perfect telephone solutions to make sure your company is running smoothly– giving you more time to focus on what you’re good at, running a fabulous local business.

Plus, along with our celebrated no-nonsense service and advice, we can provide after-hours technical support for those rare times when things don’t go as you planned.

For more information about switching from ISDN to cloud-based telephone system telephone Hitech on (03) 5440 5555 today.